At the Top Practices Summit this year in the practice management track we talked a lot about communication. Why? Because the better our communications skills are with one another the more productive, happy and well run our practices will be.

Being able to communicate well with one another is an ongoing effort and takes practice and time every day. The effort we put into educating ourselves on how to be a better communicator is worth its weight in gold.

But no matter how hard we may try to provide a positive work environment, and communicate well, stress seems to find a way of slipping in the door.

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), of employees surveyed between 40-50% have reported that their job is "very" stressful and 26% report frequent burnout or stress from their employment. Those are pretty high figures that are occurring on a regular basis.

As we know, stress can cause all types of emotional and physical problems. It is evident from these figures why so many people do not do their best at work. Even in the smallest of businesses, there will be stressful times and the more people who are working in stressful conditions under one roof, the higher the stress and burnout rate.

Being able to communicate openly at work is a way of reducing a stressful feeling. If you can express how you feel and why often this lifts that tightness between your shoulders and also lets your supervisors, employer or coworkers know how stressful work can get for you.

Talk to each other about being able to say "No" to some things that just may tip you over the edge. All employees need to have that "balanced" feeling in their job duties, as this is a vital key to making work more enjoyable.

Keep an eye out for your coworkers and if you see them beginning to stress-out reach out and provide a helping hand and learn how to communicate using active listening and empathic understanding.